A new state of the art institute for antimicrobial research is to open at Oxford University thanks to a £100 million donation from INEOS, one of the world's largest manufacturing companies.

INEOS and the University of Oxford are launching a new world-leading institute to combat the growing global issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which currently causes an estimated 1.5 million excess deaths each year and could cause over 10 million deaths per year by 2050.

The new INEOS Oxford Institute (IOI) will benefit from the internationally outstanding facilities and expertise of Oxford University, which played the key role in the origin of antibiotics following Fleming and Oxford’s discovery and development of penicillin in the last century.

The IOI will create collaborative and cross-disciplinary links across the sciences, and will be based between two sites in Oxford, linking the University’s Department of Chemistry with the new Life & Mind Building, which is currently under construction.

The INEOS Oxford Institute for AMR Research will therefore focus on designing novel antimicrobials just for animals, as well as exploring new human drugs.

Professor Louise Richardson, Vice Chancellor, University of Oxford said, “This is a wonderfully generous gift for which we are very grateful. It is another example of a powerful partnership between public and private institutions to address global problems. Oxford played a crucial role in the early development of antibiotics so it is only appropriate that we take the lead in developing a solution to antimicrobial resistance.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman, INEOS said, “Innovative collaboration between industry, academia and government is now crucial to fight against AMR. INEOS in its 22 years has become the largest private company in the UK, delivering large-scale, ambitious technical projects with impactful results. We are excited to partner with one of the world’s leading research universities to accelerate progress in tackling this urgent global challenge.”